David Delagarza
banner
davedlg.bsky.social
David Delagarza
@davedlg.bsky.social
Colorado raised, living in New Zealand. Dad to 2, ex-raft guide, perennially injured runner, private pilot, engineer, and data geek.
Our little country does some cool things sometimes.

And in return we get...15% tariffs for no apparent reason.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force evacuated three people from a U.S. research base in Antarctica on Wednesday after a medical emergency, conducting a rare and highly dangerous mission through volatile weather and 24-hour darkness to rescue the individuals.
New Zealand Air Force Mounts Dangerous Rescue Mission in Antarctica
Three staff members from the National Science Foundation were evacuated from a U.S. research base after a medical emergency. The mission is one of the most challenging for the air force.
nyti.ms
August 7, 2025 at 12:54 AM
New toy for my desk in New Zealand. #OG303
August 4, 2025 at 9:14 PM
The Texas tragedy is awful. And it was preventable. No, not through more warnings and day-of action.

It's said that floods are manmade disasters. They are manmade through the choices we make as a society in placing people in harm's way in the years and decades preceding the - predictable - event.
July 9, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Reposted by David Delagarza
You can make most every argument about how anything in history could have been done better but there is just no case that Achilles at Troy, Lincoln at Gettysburg, Truman after Hiroshima, or Churchill on D-Day would have been more effective by concluding:Thank you for your attention to this matter.
June 22, 2025 at 12:28 AM
This almost certainly happened because someone used AI to generate the list and didn't bother checking it. It just goes to show the completely arbitrary and thoughtless nature of that administration.
President Trump’s widespread tariffs include even tiny, sparsely populated islands that export close to nothing. Among the countries and territories listed on sheets of paper were two Australian territories near Antarctica where many penguins — but no people — live.
Trump Imposes Tariffs on Remote Islands
Some of the more sparsely populated territories in the world that do little trade with the United States have been caught up in the trade war.
www.nytimes.com
April 3, 2025 at 6:05 PM
How did they include several islands that are part of other countries (e.g. Norfolk and Reunion) & uninhabited subantarctic islands?

Answer: someone used AI. And no one bothered to check it.

This is a completely unserious administration. It'd be hilarious if it weren't playing with fire.
April 3, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Reposted by David Delagarza
SpaceX lost another Starship and is again posing a major and unacceptable safety risk to air traffic in the Caribbean.

The FAA needs to stop this from....ah shit that's right Musk owns the FAA now, or whatever. Cool cool cool.
March 7, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Reposted by David Delagarza
Witnessed a little bit of history today, as the RNZAF landed one of their retired C-130 Hercules on the grass outside the Air Force Museum of New Zealand.

Though it’s a former airfield, it closed 16 years ago, and is now mainly a housing estate, with the main road built along the old runway.
February 19, 2025 at 5:38 AM
Hands down the coolest thing happening on @flightradar24.com right now! HER1 fr24.com/HER01/392de41c
February 19, 2025 at 3:07 AM
A cool #AvGeek event happening here in Christchurch sometime soon. The NZ Air Force will be landing a C130 in a park next to the Air Force Museum. Hope we get enough advance notice to see it!
February 12, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Hey guys. I highly recommend giving my friend Carl a follow. He's a Naval Aviator, rocket scientist (he gave me an awesome tour of NASA JSC once), and has recently been giving some great insight on one of the other sites. He's the most unapologetically himself person I know.
🧵 /1

Lawful vs. Unlawful Orders - What they mean and what’s the difference.

Again, before I start, this post any opinions here do not reflect the opinions of the DoD or the Navy. They only represent my own feelings and thoughts.

15 years in the Navy so far - here we go.

👇🏾
February 6, 2025 at 3:54 AM
We're already hearing a lot of blame and finger pointing for the DCA crash. If you want to de-politicise your mindset around it and think about some of the root causes, suggest reading up on ADS-B and TCAS, which is (IMO) where your inquiries should be leading.
January 30, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Reposted by David Delagarza
We are watching in realtime the systematic unraveling of decades aviation safety accident investigative precedent and process from the President of the United States.
January 30, 2025 at 4:37 PM
I love flying regional in New Zealand. You just rock up to the airport 20 minutes before the flight and hop on. No security. No ID.
January 18, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Somehow this is my first time ever on an A350.
December 6, 2024 at 5:40 PM
Looong day ahead with 2 kids and some very short layovers. Wish us luck!
December 6, 2024 at 12:58 PM
Yes, I'm sure that this, plus deporting all the migrant workers, will work out swimmingly for the US. Mexico accounts for about 20% of the US's food supply.
Breaking News: President-elect Donald Trump said that he would impose a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico on his first day in office, a move that would scramble North American supply chains and impose heavy costs on businesses around the continent.
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Canada and Mexico, Potentially Crippling Trade
The president-elect said that he would impose the tariff on Day 1 and that it would stay in place until Canada and Mexico halted the flow of drugs and migrants across U.S. borders.
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2024 at 1:28 AM
Exploring India is like playing a video game - you find unexpected little temples everywhere.
November 26, 2024 at 1:21 AM
Only in New Zealand is a typical go around - in another county - national news.
November 17, 2024 at 9:01 PM
ooh, here's a new type for me. Hopefully It'll stick around town till my trip tomorrow.
That registration though...🤨
November 17, 2024 at 8:32 PM
The dual citizen thing is relatively new for me. Traveling with two passports feels like I'm doing something untoward.
November 17, 2024 at 6:22 PM
Since I seem to be picking up a bunch of #AvGeek followers, I'll post my most recent plane pic. One of my favourite places - Abel Tasman National Park seen from a recent AKL-CHC flight.
November 15, 2024 at 3:35 AM
Hello Bluesky! I made the decision a year or so ago to stop engaging on that other platform. I've really missed it!
November 15, 2024 at 1:44 AM